Rachele Schulist was thrilled to compete at the NCAA indoor track & field championships.

But when she got her first taste of a national championship track meet, it wasn't as good as she expected.

Schulist, a Zeeland West graduate and Michigan State runner, was suffering from iron deficiency, which drained her, making her challenge for a national title finish in a disappointing 15th place.

"That is when my low iron started showing up," Schulist said. "I am glad I had that experience in indoor going into this. Going to nationals indoor was a huge step for me. It was a new experience for me, competing as an individual. I learned from that, now I want to compete, not just run."

Schulist's performance of 9 minutes, 42.71 seconds at the NCAA indoor championships was still good enough for second-team All-American honors.

"It was great progress," Michigan State coach Walt Drenth said. "There was never a lack of effort from start to finish."

Schulist is hoping a healthy meet and the same effort will bring better things as she heads in to the postseason of her redshirt freshman season.

"The season is just kind of starting for me, and it is starting with the championship season," Schulist said. "It is an exciting time."

She leads the Spartans into the Big Ten Championship this week.

Following the indoor season, the low iron issue continued into the outdoor season. She has only competed in one meet, though she ran a time in the 5K likely to make the NCAA regional.

"I had low iron in the beginning of the season, so I haven't been able to race much," she said. "It has been a really short season so far for me. I raced at Princeton, and it went really well."

Though she hasn't been able to race, Schulist hasn't stopped training.

"It hasn't really affected me too much because I know I have done the training, and I know it was what my body needed," she said. "I just had to make the best of it."

Analyzing her race is a constant process for Schulist.

"After every race, we talk about what improvements we could make," she said. "I look at where I struggle. It is the two-mile point in the 5K. That is where I need to make a conscious effort to keep pace there. It is looking at how I can get better."

Schulist started the school year by helping the Spartans win the Big Ten title in cross country. After a top-10 finish, she was an All-Big Ten selection.

"The confidence definitely carries over," Schulist said. "We have a presence, just being a part of Michigan State. You have that across your chest and want to show our team's presence."

Page 2 of 2 - Schulist is hoping to make her own presence known by reaching her potential.

"Making it to nationals is my goal," she said. "I haven't really been tested, so this will be a good chance to see how I do with a lot of competition. I just need to let it all out."